Healthy Life Lessons

Oh rice and beans how I missed thee! Grains and legumes may be humble foods, but I love them and I am so glad Passover is over. I'm not sure why, but I have never made curry with kidney beans before. When making vegetarian curries, I always use chickpeas. I've heard this curry (Rajma), described as chili's Indian kissing cousin. All I know is it is easy and yummy. But then again, I tend to LOVE the flavours of Southern Asian food...in another life I must have lived in that region of the world. Then again, I also love the flavours of cuisines from all regions of Asia, so it's hard to know what part of that continent I may have originated from in my past life. Anyways... 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced Large knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 1 tbls chili powder* 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp salt Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional) 1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 fresh tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup) 1 can...

I am definitely not myself right now. Between my grandma being unwell, my stupid leg/back pain, the crappy weather we have been having and my two practicum placements officially starting next week, I'm stressed. I am completely sick and tired of sitting on a yoga block and playing detective with my physiotherapist to figure out what is causing my pain. I have 2 MRIs booked for June, both in the middle of the night. Yes, in Canada we get these tests for free, but we have to have them in the middle of the night. They also won't do a back and pelvic MRI at the same time, so I have to be up all night 2 nights in a row! This alone is stressing me out, seeing as I have a history of insomnia and I have to be very careful about maintaining my circadian rhythms. I am also worried about driving home from the hospital in the middle of the night seeing as I am falling asleep before 10pm most nights. This has been a seriously miserable winter and spring. I have ALWAYS hated Toronto ...

Big A requested decorated gingerbread cookies and carrot cake cupcakes for the girls' party on May 14. Because the next few weeks are crazy busy, and I don't know what's going to happen with my grandma, I decided to make these this weekend and freeze them for the party. I absolutely ADORE gingerbread cookies, so hopefully there won't be many leftovers or I will likely devour them all myself. This recipe happens to be vegan, but you can use butter in place of the Earth Balance, if you prefer. I use fruit puree, not only to cut down on the fat, but it also keeps them soft and chewy, which I like. In fact, I can't stand crunchy cookies at all. Biscotti is about as appealing to me as raw potatoes. If you like your gingerbread really crisp and crunchy, just omit the fruit puree and double the amount of Earth Balance or butter. If I was making these for adults, I would cut down on the sugar and add a few tablespoons of fresh, grated ginger for more kick, but these a...

My grandma Ruth (aka G.G. Ruth - "Great Grandma Ruth" to my children and my brother's children) is not doing very well. This is not shocking since she is 92, but at the same time it is very hard to accept. She is my only living grandparent and, although throughout my lifetime she has lived in New York, she has always been a significant part of my life. My mom's mom has always been a unique combination of intelligence, strength, grace and determination, especially for a woman of her generation. She has a history degree from NYU and, until this past year when her short term memory began to quickly deteriorate, she could debate American and international politics with anyone. She loved watching sports like baseball and golf and she was an avid reader of literature and the New York Times. Ruth also loves film, theatre, music, travel and fine food, and she enjoyed these things in abundance with my grandfather, Joe, before his death in 1989. Joe was the love of her life,...

Poor Little A! Her birthday is April 22 (Earth Day), which also happens to fall on Good Friday this year and smack in the middle of Passover. Who doesn't want to be able to eat cake on their birthday? Especially when you are turning 2!! Little A still loves everything related to birthdays - "Happy to you" - as she calls them. So I knew she would be thrilled if we could serve her a cupcake with a candle for her to blow out at my in-laws on Friday. But I was puzzled as to how I could come up with a Passover-friendly recipe that would fit the bill. Well my friends, with a little ingenuity, I did it! Even if you don't celebrate Passover, these are wheat/gluten-free and good for any occasion. 4 tbls coconut oil, softened 2 large eggs 2 egg whites 1 cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 tbls pure maple syrup 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 2 cups quinoa flour 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup regular or mini chocolate chips Using electri...

I apologize ahead of time for this post, but if you read this blog you already know I love toilet humour. Do you remember the Colon Blow skit from SNL? Well I think I've found the real thing. A few weeks ago I picked up a box of Kellogg's new Fibre Plus cereal. Personally, I am not a big cold cereal fan. I don't find them very satisfying (i.e. even if I eat half the box I'm starving again in an hour) and generally speaking, the ones that taste good, like the above, are full of sugar. But Adam LOVES cereal - particularly the sweet ones - and who am I to tell him what to eat? Okay, I do tell him what to eat. But he only has cereal for breakfast a few days a week, opting for a healthier choice of oatmeal the other days. Unfortunately, the girls love Adam's "Cookies in a bowl" as I have come to think of them. They took one look at the new cereal box and had to try some. They opened the box last Monday and devoured it by Friday. Adam didn't even ge...

One of the reasons Adam gets so hungry at Passover is that he can't snack on his Clif bars or Optimum bars while he's at work. So I created this recipe to give him something tasty and satisfying to nibble on. For Adam, having chocolate in these babies is a must! This makes a lot, because I wanted to have enough for him to take to work and to have some at home - these are a big hit with the girls too, but you can easily halve the recipe. If you are not observing Passover, you can use peanut butter instead of almond butter and any kind of unsweetened puffed grain cereal in place of the quinoa. These are a great, nutritious, high-protein snack anytime of year and much cheaper than anything you would buy in the store. 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips Heaping 1/2 cup almond butter 4 heaping tbls coconut oil 6 cups puffed quinoa (or other cereal) 1 lb (about 4 cups) mixed dried fruit and nuts of choice (I used currents, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews and almonds) Slowly...